New Internationalist Issue 279
The material that follows ha s been provided by New
Internationalist
Buzzing the behemoth
GREENPEACE GETS UP PEOPLE'S NOSES. Founded in Vancouver in 1971, the organization
exploded into inter-national prominence and mass membership when the French
Secret Service bombed its ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland in 1985. Its
direct confrontation of the huge and impersonal forces that threaten the world's
safety has often led to accusations of publicity hunger. Certainly Greenpeace
has always been aware of the power of the daring stunt and the single image
to attract attention and inspire - those tiny dinghies confronting the monster
warship USS Eisenhower (bottom); the stark anticipation of Ken Saro-Wiwa's execution
in Nigeria (left).
But
why should the Devil have all the best images? Greenpeace's daring and media-grasp
have helped inspire a new generation of direct-activists. And it is a token
of their success that when France restarted its nuclear tests in the Pacific
last year the protests were not left to a lonely Greenpeace boat but exploded
all over the world - not least on the rioting streets of Tahiti .
©Copyright: New Internationalist 1996
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